Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency: Elijah Wood Series Coming to BBCA in October

by Jessica Pena, September 15, 2016

“Who are you?” Today, BBC America announced their new series Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency will debut in October.

Based on the books by Douglas Adams, the dramedy follows Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett), an eccentric detective, and his reluctant sidekick Todd (Elijah Wood). The cast also includes Hannah Marks, Jade Eshete, and Richard Schiff.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is set to premiere on October 22nd at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

Watch a preview and read more below:

New York – September 15, 2016 – “Perhaps every day before now has been for the most part humdrum and inane, your life a mundane unvarying slog through unfulfilling jobs, shallow depression and boring, BORING sex… .? Then suddenly… everything changed.” So goes the life of Todd Brotzman (Elijah Wood); accurately surmised by the intrusive stranger Dirk Gently (Samuel Barnett) … a holistic detective who doesn’t really detect… or find clues… or ever really solved a case… Ok, so he’s a crazy person who’s insinuated himself into the life of a man who literally has absolutely nothing left to lose… An eight-part series penned by Max Landis (American Ultra, Chronicle), Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, adapted from the wildly popular novels by Douglas Adams (“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”), premieres Saturday, October 22 at 9/8c on BBC AMERICA.

“Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is a blast of fresh, cosmically weird air,” says Sarah Barnett, President, BBC AMERICA. “Fans of Doctor Who, Monty Python, Sherlock and Barton Fink will find things to love in this sharply original yet reverent gigantic puzzle, at the heart of which are funny messed up people you really care about. And there’s a kitten/shark. Perfect for BBCA.”

Corpses – cops – traps – cult – assassins – Pararibulitis – vampires – lottery ticket – kitten – corgi – everything is connected in this bizarre world. It all begins on the absolute worst day of Todd’s life. After his drug dealing landlord trashes his car, he trudges onto a Seattle bus to make it to his job as a bellhop. Dispatched to the hotel penthouse, the horrific scene of murdered millionaire, Patrick Spring, begets a peculiar chain of events that makes him a person of great interest… and gets him sacked from his job.

Enter Dirk Gently, the fast talking, eccentric detective hired to investigate the case. Dirk, whose philosophy hinges on the interconnectedness of all things, wholly believes he and Todd are destined to untangle the mystery together, and tries his hardest to convince Todd to embrace the madness because let’s face it, what else has he got going on… Once half-convinced, Todd’s world is infiltrated by a collection of wild and dangerous characters who further complicate his life, all because of Dirk Gently.

Far away from the city, Ken (Mpho Koaho) too is having a really bad day. While minding his business of hacking into a mainframe to make a few bucks, a seemingly deranged assassin, Bartine “Bart” Curlish (Fiona Dourif) insinuates herself into his life… after she tries to murder him… because she mistook him for Dirk Gently… without actually knowing if he was Dirk Gently… because Bart is not a very thorough assassin. But she is a holistic one, that kills whomever the universe tells her to. And you guessed it, it’s told her to kill Dirk Gently.

Each week, viewers will enter the escape room-esque mystery that’ll weave these characters together through seemingly innocuous events; somehow bringing everyone closer to solving the case of the murdered millionaire. And maybe, help to rid Todd of Dirk Gently, and restore his mundane, unvarying, shallow, depressed and boring, BORING sex life…

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency is an eight-part co-production of AMC Studios, IDEATE MEDIA and IDW Entertainment, with Circle of Confusion producing for BBC AMERICA. Max Landis writes and executive produces the series with Robert Cooper (Stargate Atlantis, Stargate Universe) serving as executive producer and showrunner, and Oscar-winning director Dean Parisot (Justified, Masters of Sex) serving as executive producer and director of the series’ first two episodes. Arvind Ethan David and Zainir Aminullah for IDEATE MEDIA executive produce along with Ted Adams and David Ozer for IDW and David Alpert and Rick Jacobs for Circle of Confusion. Kim Todd serves as producer.”

What do you think? Have you read Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency? Will you watch the series?